Doctors not following MCI guideline to prescribe generic medicines- for good reasons
The fresh guideline issued by MCI urging doctors to prescribe generic instead of branded medicines hasn’t found many takers. For instance, at PGIMER where the notification was endorsed by the administration two months back, the doctors continue to prescribe branded drugs.
The notice issued by the MCI in September reads thus: “Every physician should prescribe drugs with generic names legibly and preferably in capital letters and he/she shall ensure that there is a rational prescription and use of drugs.” The PGI administration endorsed the same notification in October.
The Jan Aushadhi store in PGI has reported that the doctors have prescribed branded drugs which aren’t available in the store.
As one official of the store told the Chandigarh Newsline, “When family members visit us, we provide them generic medicines, even if branded drugs have been prescribed. But, doctors return them. We have 600 plus medicines available at our store but the ratio of prescribed generic medicine is very less at the PGI.” The official also said that not all the medicines are actually available in the store.
Reports of doctors returning drugs when substitutes for branded drugs are provided them come from the Amrit outlets as well.
Generic drugs aren’t easily available, say doctors
Doctors claim that they are forced to prescribe branded drugs as generic drugs aren’t easily available in the stores. During emergencies, when we prescribe generic medicines, we found that patients don’t get them because they are not available. We are forced to prescribe branded drugs. We can’t wait till the patient’s family members travel the entire city to get that generic medicine,” said a doctor.
“We will be more happy to prescribe generic medicines to the patients. But, the government should ensure the quality of these generic drugs,”said president of PGI Faculty Association, Dr T D Yadav, from the department of general surgery.
Officiating PGI Director Dr Subhash Verma is optimistic about prescribing generic medicines when he says, “Gradually things are changing and we have given clear instructions to the doctors that they should preferably prescribe generic medicines. Even we have mentioned in the prescription cards that if branded medicines are written, the chemists can provide generic medicines equivalent to that drug.”
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